Every year at Secret Stages I'm blown away by at least one or two performances. Mostly from bands I've never heard of and I just happen across them because I am in between shows. And that's what happened when I stepped outside to check out the main stage at Secret Stages, Mississippi alt-country rockers Young Valley caught my ear. Raucous and fun, the band made a new fan that evening. Give them a listen below as you check out my photos from their performance.

In between shows at the Secret Stages Festival, I popped into Rogue Tavern to use the bathroom and grab a beer. I'd never heard of Early James and the Latest, but glad I stuck around for their set. A spectacular live act, the band mashed up folk, blues, and country into what amounted to a barn burning set of originals and covers. And discovering an artist you'd never heard before is exactly what Secret Stages is all about. Listen in to one of their tracks below and you check out my photos from their performance.

When I made my list of bands I planned to check out at this year's Secret Stages Festival in Birmingham, Baltimore rock trio Snail Mail was top of the list. Playing at Rogue Tavern on the 2nd night of the festival, the band drew the largest crowd I'd seen at any venue. Even a few bands who had played earlier stuck around for the show. All the hype and anticipation was well worth it too. Fantastic performance, and I walked away satisfied and also a bigger fan. Listen in to a few Snail Mail tracks below and check out my photos from the show.

Another must see artist on my Secret Stages list this year was Nashville based Molly Parden. She was the 1st act at Rogue Tavern on the 2nd day of the festival, and set the tone for another day of fantastic music. She and her band played a compelling brand of country folk with a few pop elements sprinkled throughout, but it was her stunningly beautiful voice that kept the audience entranced. Listen in to a few of Molly's tracks below as you check out my photos from her performance.

London quartet Lazy Day have just released 'Hiccup', the second single from their forthcoming EP, Ribbons. The highly anticipated EP is set for release on 10” vinyl and digital formats on September 15, 201 via Lost Map Records. 'Hiccup' precedes Lazy Day’s first UK headline tour, which begins on Monday, September 18th ith 12 dates around the UK.

The band, fronted by Tilly Scantlebury had this to say about 'Hiccup', “I wrote ‘Hiccup’ two summers ago when I found myself in a romantic situation that I wasn’t ready for. The song is about not knowing what someone else is thinking and ending up in your own head. I wanted to play with the idea of a ‘hiccup’ - a weird involuntary bodily reflex that causes disruption, even if only for a second. A hiccup is like an unpredictable bump in the road, and it was a way for me to express the lack of control I felt I had at the time."

With each new release, the band continues to build on their already impressive resume with perfectly crafted and produced snapshots of love and loss. They're evolving sonically, tightening their musical prowess, but have managed to retain what makes Lazy Day so special, their vulnerable core. It's the bit that sticks with you, haunting and relatable, so much so that it gnaws at you. Our hearts are never perfect, they are messy things, and seldom make any sense, but if a heart could talk, this is what it would say. Find the enchanting 'Hiccup' below.